AVENUES OF HONOUR: LOCATION, ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF WAR MEMORIAL TREE AVENUES IN AUSTRALIA SARAH COCKERELL A large body of research exists on the topic of war memorials. From ancient to modern times wars have been a part of human history and memorials to battles, hero’s, victory and defeats are common all over the planet. However most investigations into the form and history of war memorials have only focused on completely artificial structures. There are many in depth examinations of sculpture, obelisks, cenotaphs and buildings (Borg 1991, Inglis 1999, McIvor 1994, Richards 1996) but few look at trees or gardens. In the book Sacred Places, memorial avenues are only mentioned as an indigenous novelty and it is suggested that many of the avenues could be considered an accompaniment to existing or planned artificial monuments (Inglis 1999). Such is the number of war memorials in Australia, and overseas, that all studies must be focused but while most have limited themselves to the totally artificial very few have dealt with the organic. MEMORIAL TREES Historically mankind has had a long association with trees. Trees have been valued as the focus of worship or as markers of important sites or landmarks for centuries (Dwyer 1991). Many of these ancient significant trees were not intentionally planted or dedicated but were valued because of their great age or location. As human culture became more sophisticated so did our beliefs about the significance of trees. The tree as a symbol of life and the cycle of life, death and renewal is very common (Hageneder, 2005). It is understandable then that trees dedicated to the memory of the dead appear in many cultures. These trees may be planted specifically for a person or event or may be already established trees that have gained an association over time. The latter is more common when large trees are present near a significant location. This connection can then lead to replanting of similar trees in other locations as a living connection to a person or event. The Lone Pine ( Pinus Halepensis ) memorials around Australia are an example of this. Different tree species are often associated with a specific meaning as well as the symbology associated with trees in general. These associations are often rooted in ancient history and mythology. Elm trees were planted by the ancient Greeks in graveyards and were traditionally used to make coffins in England. The Pine is significant in many cultures and is associated with mortality, vitality and continuity. In particular it has a strong association with death in Scotland where ancient clan chiefs and warriors are often found buried under a pine. Oak trees are connected with Virtue and Majesty and have a very strong connection to western culture through various myths and legends. Perhaps most significant is the lore from Ancient Britain and Germany where the oak is associated with kindness and nurturing but also the ability to fight when needed. (Hageneder 2005) Such associated meaning makes these trees a natural choice for memorial avenues and may have influenced species choice for Australia’s avenues as much as aesthetic or climatic considerations. MEMORIAL AVENUES It is not a great leap from a single memorial tree to an avenue of trees. The idea of a straight, double row of evenly spaced trees is not complicated or counter-intuitive. Man has been building roads since the invention of the wheel and lining a road with intentionally planted trees is an obvious progression. There is evidence that significant artificial avenues were planted in Ancient Rome although we do not know if they were intended for any purpose beyond a landscape feature. After the 16 th century various avenue types were being developed around Europe and by the 19 th century tree lined boulevard were standardised and very common, particularly in France (Lawrence 1988). There has been a long- standing tradition of the planting of grand avenues in England, again possibly influenced by the French and Dutch, and many of England’s historic manors have or had associated tree avenues (Carmichael 1994). It would be difficult, if not impossible to identify the earliest memorial avenues in the world but it is clear that the concept is not recent. One of the biggest myths about Avenues of Honour is perhaps the idea that they are an uniquely Australian phenomena. Tree memorials occur all over the world. They are not always planted as part of an avenue or to commemorate fallen soldiers but the significance and community value of a memorial tree is not restricted to one culture. While memorial trees and particularly avenues appear to be more common in the Western world scattered examples are turning up all over the globe. At least 5 war memorial avenues still exist in the USA (Robbins 2003) and 7 in Canada (Lanken 1997). The UK National Inventory of War Memorials records over 250 war memorial tree plantings but it is not yet clear how many of these are avenues. Other avenues have been planted in such diverse locations as the Solomon Islands and Jerusalem. Exactly how many war memorial avenues still exist worldwide is unknown but they are more common than many people realise. MEMORIAL AVENUES IN AUSTRALIA When Australia was colonised by Europeans the planting of avenues and memorial trees was part of our cultural inheritance. One of the oldest intact avenues in Australia was planted in 1876 at Camperdown, Victoria. The earliest memorial avenues are difficult to identify but at least two commemorating the Boer War exist and others may have existed that are now lost or destroyed. It has been suggested (Haddow 1987) that the inspiration for a WW1 ‘Avenue of Honour’ originated in Ballarat and was then taken up buy other nearby Victorian towns and to a lesser extent other communities across Australia. However an article in the Ballarat Courier on Friday 17 th May 1917 claimed that Mrs Thompson (the driving force behind the Ballarat avenue) was inspired by an avenue planting at Mount Lofty in South Australia. The planting at Ballarat was certainly the largest in the state but it was not the earliest. The avenue of honour planted in Eurack in 1916 is the earliest WW1 memorial avenue in Victoria (Taffe 2006) and one of the first in the country. However it is not yet certain exactly when and where the first WW1 avenue was planted. The construction of the Ballarat avenue may have influenced other small towns in Australia to plant avenues but this was only possible because the concept of a memorial avenue was already understood and accepted by the greater Australian public. One theory as to why the Avenue of Honour was so popular in Australia during and after WW1 was soldiers recollections of the manicured tree avenues of France in particular and Western Europe in general (Haddow 1987). These impressions of landscape brought back by the returning soldiers may have suggested avenues as a fitting memorial structure. However there is no evidence for any one source for the avenue concept. Historical records about the planning of avenues rarely credit one person with the idea or explain what influenced the decision. Whatever the inspiration the concept was a popular one. The exact number of memorial avenues in Australia is unknown and may be impossible to ever state definitively. Current research suggests that over 300 avenues were planted around Australia with almost half of those found in Victoria. A Government survey conducted in 1919 and 1920 of war memorials around Australia found 123 avenues had been planted around the country with 92 of those to be found in Victoria. A much later study found 142 avenues (Haddow 1987) in Victoria and others are being discovered and planted to this day. The exact number of avenues ever planted is unlikely to be conclusively known as where avenues have been lost there are often no surviving records of their existence. What is clear is that the avenue was and still is a popular memorial type in Australia. THREATS TO URBAN TREES The management of urban trees has become increasingly complex and important as Australia has developed and in many cases avenues that were planted in semi rural environments are now in the middle of towns. This has often resulted in conflicts between the trees and the progress of modern infrastructure. The difficulties a tree must overcome in an urbanised environment are considerable. They are competing for space in an increasingly crowded environment and have often been poorly regarded by those interested in urban infrastructure. Consequently most urban trees regularly face one or more of the following • Radical pruning away from powerlines • Soil compaction • Root zone damage from construction and utilities • Arid Soil Conditions • Total removal for building or road widening • Damage from road accidents • Air and Soil pollution This means that good quality management of significant trees is often not only desirable but necessary if they are to be retained. IDEAL MANAGEMENT Defining the best management practises for urban trees is a difficult task and there are several opinions on the subject (Clark 1991). However it can be said that any management strategy needs to consider these elements: • Protection of the Rootzone • Watering • Pruning • Professional arboricultural assessment • Removal and replacement • Interaction with urban infrastructure Exactly what management a tree requires will depend on its situation but almost all will require some maintenance during their life and all will need to be dealt with at the end of their lives. MAINTAINING THE LANDSCAPE The biggest difficulty with maintaining these kinds of memorial trees is to also maintain the avenue as a landscape feature. The preservation of a single tree is important but should not necessarily be continued if it damages the impression of the avenue.